Andersen jury is urged to act

Wednesday 12 June 2002 23:00 BST

THE JURY in the Houston trial of the Andersen accounting firm was ordered to think again yesterday after it told the judge that it was deadlocked. The jury, which had been deliberating for seven days, sent US District Judge Melinda Harmon a note saying: 'We are unable to reach a unanimous decision.'

The jury had been considering charges that Andersen had criminally obstructed justice by shredding documents about its former client Enron. The deadlock is seen as a major setback for Federal prosecutors who had hoped a high-profile conviction in the Andersen case would encourage senior Enron executives to co-operate. The trial has already lasted for six weeks and if the jury still failed to reach a verdict a mistrial would be declared.

Shortly after receiving the jury's note, the judge read to them the so-called 'dynamite charge', an instruction that urges jurors to reach a decision and impresses on them the cost and effort involved in conducting a trial.